What does UN human rights resolution mean for Sri Lanka?

[March 24, 2021]  By Alasdair Pal

(Reuters) - U.N. human rights boss Michelle Bachelet received a mandate on Tuesday to collect evidence of crimes during Sri Lanka’s long civil war, which ended in 2009 with the defeat of the separatist Tamil Tigers and an upsurge of civilian deaths. [L8N2LL3PG]

Rights groups said the decision was a critical step in gaining justice for victims of war crimes, and could have significant implications for the current Sri Lankan government.

Here are answers to some common questions:

WHAT DOES THE RESOLUTION ALLOW?

The resolution allows the United Nations "to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve information and evidence, and to develop possible strategies for future accountability processes for gross violations of human rights or serious violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka, to advocate for victims and survivors, and to support relevant judicial and other proceedings."

It also provided a budget of $2.8 million to hire investigators to work on the collection of evidence.

WHAT COULD IT MEAN FOR SRI LANKA?

The resolution is a "huge blow" to the Sri Lankan government, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who served as the country's wartime defence chief, said Yasmin Sooka, a rights lawyer involved in prosecutions against several Sri Lankan wartime figures including Rajapaksa.

Bachelet's office is likely to take several months to set up a team, and evidence-gathering will be a long process, Sooka said.

"I don't expect the Sri Lankan government to cooperate," said Rajiv Bhatia, a distinguished fellow at Indian foreign policy think-tank Gateway House.

The length of time that has elapsed since the end of the war will also complicate evidence-gathering, he added.

Tamil women cry as they hold up images of their disappeared family members during the war against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at a protest in Jaffna, about 400 km (250 miles) north of Colombo August 27, 2013 REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte/File Photo

WHAT DOES SRI LANKA SAY?

Sri Lanka has strongly rejected the resolution. Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunewardena said the resolution lacked authority as the nations that had voted in favour were outnumbered by those that had voted against it or had abstained.

"The resolution was brought by countries supported by Western powers that want to dominate the Global South," he said.

Sri Lanka’s U.N. envoy, C.A. Chandraprema, called the text "unhelpful and divisive", as it was not passed unopposed and strongly objected to by its allies, including China and Russia.

WHO VOTED FOR IT?

The 47-member Human Rights Council passed the resolution, with 22 countries voting in favour, 11 against and 14 abstaining.

In favour: Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahamas, Brazil, Bulgaria, Côte d'Ivoire, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, France, Germany, Italy, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Uruguay.

Against: Bangladesh, Bolivia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Somalia, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

India, Indonesia, Japan and Nepal were among the abstainees.

The abstentions, including from neighbours India and Nepal and some friendly Islamic countries, were a blow to Colombo and could upset relations.

"They are putting a brave face... (but) there was a very big effort from Colombo to get India to support them," Bhatia said, adding it could test already an already fraught relationship between the countries.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

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